The Whale

New Content, #33 HYPE, #33 Art & Comics / By
Fionn McCabe
Fionn McCabe is an illustrator, printmaker, and cartoonist living in Sydney on Gadigal and Wangal land. He teaches comics and storytelling at the University of Technology Sydney, is one of the Comic Art Workshop’s co-directors, and is a producer of Read To Me, a live visual storytelling event.
A four-page comic by Fionn McCabe. The comic is drawn with jagged black line work and black, white, and blue colouring. Each panel includes black backgrounds and light blue shadowing. Above the panels in hand-written print appears the title: ‘The Whale’ in the top left corner. In the top right corner reads, ‘Fionn McCabe ‘24’. Page 1: Panel 1: A wide shot of four figures kneeling over a dog. In the foreground, two children are crying and leaning over the dog. In the background, a mother is between the children, and a father is slightly to the left with a hand over his mouth. A caption in a white speech balloon, that contrasts the predominantly black and blue image, depicts internal dialogue that reads: ‘When our dog died, the kids were beside themselves with grief.’ Panel 2: A closeup image of the father figure’s face. A hand is placed over his mouth. Two tear droplets are on his face beneath his glasses. Blue droplets spraying out against a black background frame the face. The caption reads: ‘I was too, but seeing them like that was unbearable.’ Panel 3: A waist-shot of the father addressing his children and wife who have all turned to him. The internal dialogue at the top of the panel reads: ‘I vowed then, that I would NEVER put them through that again.’ A speech balloon from the father reads: “I LOVE you so much.” Panel 4: The two children and wife continue to be turned and watch the father with open blank faces. The father is turned away stepping out of frame. The internal dialogue reads: ‘I vowed that our next pet would outlive us all.’ Panel 5: An over the shoulder shot of a father typing on his keyboard and watching his monitor. The internal dialogue reads: ‘I vowed that our next pet would be truly worthy of my children’s love.’ Panel 6: A closeup of the top left corner of the monitor. On the monitor is an image of a swimming blue whale. The internal dialogue reads: ‘And I vowed that pet would be a blue whale because I am a great Dad.’
Page 2: Panel 1: Behind a fence are tall trees and shrubs that frame the image of a home. In the foreground there is a white sign that holds a diagonal sticker that reads: SOLD. The internal dialogue reads: ‘Our property in the city was simply too small, so I immediately put it on the market.’ Panel 2: The internal dialogue reads: ‘My partner was surprised at first, but she soon came around to my way of thinking.’ In an over-the-shoulder shot, the father is facing his partner who has a distressed look on her face, two tears placed on her cheeks. The speech balloon facing the partner says: “Why? Just tell me why?” Panel 3: The internal dialogue reads: ‘She was a little more reluctant about buying a cheap property out in the middle of nowhere.’ The father is in the left bottom corner with a sad look as three figures stand in the right bottom corner of the panel. The partner is holding one child to her chest and has another by her side. They are all facing the father with angry looks. The mother says: “I’m leaving with the kids.” Panel 4: The father is waving his arms outstretched and has an angry look on his face as he says: “Blue whales can grow up to 30 meters! We’ll need the space!” In the distance the partner is beside a taxi car and responds: “Jerk!” Panel 5: The internal dialogue reads: ‘The money I made teaching wasn’t going to cover the building expenses.’ The father is shown front on, and he addresses the viewer. He tells us: “Now I have a moustache” and continues in another speech balloon “and I comb and oil my hair.” Panel 6: The internal dialogue reads: ‘so I quit my job and moved into finance, where I quickly climbed the corporate ladder.’ Below the text, the father is shown sitting at a desk wearing a suit. He is pictured yelling into a phone, his mouth open to reveal jagged teeth and has an angry face. His speech balloon reads: “Show me the money!”
Page 3: Panel 1: A blue whale against a black background. The internal dialogue reads: ‘It turns out, blue whales are endangered, so acquiring one wasn’t easy.’ Panel 2: An over the shoulder shot of a father typing on his keyboard and watching his monitor angrily. Three marks above his head indicate frustration. The internal dialogue reads: ‘And a quick google search turned up a few other unanticipated issues.’ Panel 3: An elephant against a black background. The internal dialogue reads: ‘They weigh a lot. A blue whale’s tongue can weigh as much as a full grown elephant!’ Panel 4: A box-truck against a black background. The internal dialogue reads: ‘They eat a lot, too, about four tons each day.’ Panel 5: An over-the-shoulder shot of a father leant over his keyboard and leaning his head into his fists with a distressed look on his face. There is a tear on his face and three marks above his head indicate frustration. The internal dialogue reads: ‘I reminded myself I was doing all of this for my kids.’ Panel 6: An over-the-shoulder shot with the father addressing five pirates, holding out a briefcase to them. There are three pirates in the foreground. The farthest is wearing a pirate hat and wielding a cutlass. Next to him is a pirate wearing a pirate hat with skull and crossbones. He has a parrot on his shoulder and a hook hand. The closest pirate is wearing an eye-patch on his right eye and has his mouth open to reveal jagged teeth. The internal dialogue reads: ‘And hired a team of pirates to do whatever it took to get me that whale.'
Page 4: Panel 1: An establishing image of a little house with a large tank structure being built with cranes and pulleys. The internal dialogue reads: ‘It took less than a decade to complete construction on the whale’s enclosure.’ Panel 2: Four helicopters fly in a square formation. Each helicopter has a rope tethered to a large sling. Inside the sling sits a blue whale. The internal dialogue reads: ‘And, when it finally arrived, I breathed a sigh of relief at a job well done.’ Panel 3: A close-up of the father’s face. He holds a phone in his right hand and his left hand is making a fist. His face is angry and there are five little jagged lines framing his face that indicate his frustration. The internal dialogue reads: ‘The divorce had been messy, so I wasn’t surprised when my call to the kids rang through.’ Panel 4: Standing at the edge of the pool enclosure with one hand holding the brim, the father is leant forward looking at his phone. Towards the edge of the right panel, the blue whale is pictured swimming into frame, facing the father. The internal dialogue reads: ‘I wondered what name they would pick out for the whale.’ Panel 5: A mid-shot of the father looking up, the expression on his face serene. The internal dialogue reads: ‘I imagined evenings with them, watching the trucks unload krill at feeding time.’ Panel 6: A close-up of the father’s face in the same position. The fathers face now dons a smile. His eyes are closed. The internal dialogue reads: I pictured them squeezing me tightly, telling me I was the best dad in the whole world.’

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